Improvement in steam-traps



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

YVILLARD. L. RAY, OF NORTH ADAMS,4 MASSACHUSETTS.

' iMPaovi-:MENT .IN STEAM-TRAPS.

'Specification forming part of Letters Patent No'. 39,172, dated J uly 7, 1863.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, W. L. RAY, of North Adams, in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in 'Steam-Traps and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,'and exact description of thesame, ref` erence being had to the accompanying drawing, 'forming part of this specification, said drawing representing a centralverticalsection ot' a steam-trap constructed according-to e my invention.

j to describe it with reference to the drawing.

A is a boxv o'r chamber of spherical or other form, screwed tightly onto thel waste-pipe B in such manner that the end or m'outhof the said pipe is situated within the said chamber or box near the centerV thereof.` This pipe B is firmly secured at a suitable distance from the box A-say,1abotittwelve'feetby a vsuitable fixed clamp or fastening, C, to any suit-- able fixed snpport,-t'hat the longitudinal expansion and contraction of the said pipe may produce a corresponding movement of the box or chamber, which is supported in such manner upon a suitable board or base, D, as to permit of the said movement. Opposite to the pipe B there is inserted into a suitable hollow socket, a, provided on the box or chamber A, a metal plug or plunger, E, which enters the said box or chamber in line with the said pipe, and protrudes sor'ne distance from the exterior thereof, the said plug or plunger being fitted to work easily in the said socket without a stuinglbox or other packing. The inner end of this plug or plunger constitutes a valve to which the end of the pipe B `constitutes a seat, and for this purpose the said end 'of the plug or plunger may have a cavity `formed in-it for the reception of somesot't composition or alloy, or of a piece ot' vulcaniz'ed india-rubber, to form the valve-face From the bottom of the box or chamber A there descends a pipe, F, for carrying oit' the water of condensationwhich runs into the saidbox or'chamber from the pipe.

G G is an elbow-lever arranged ,I to work upon a'fulcrnm pin, b, secured `in a fixed standard, H. One arm, G, of this lever projects'- .downward from the fulcrur'n, and occupies a nearly-vertical position opposite to the outer end of the plug E, and the other arm, G, is Seither made very heavy to constitute a Weight,

as represented, or else has suspended from it in contact with andcloses the end of the pipe B. 7 Through the lower partof'the arm Grl there is screwed a' set-screw, I', the point of which is situated behind atixed stop, J

The operationof the trap is as follows: When the pipe B contains water, the length of the said pipe is such that there is an opening between its extremity and the valveat the inner -end ot the plug E, the outer end of which rests against the armG ot' the lever',I

which is held stationary by the weight Grl Withl the set-screw I, in contact with the stop d'5' but whenthe-water has been expelled from the pipe B by steam, the said vpipe expands sufciently to bring its end in contactwith the valve at the inner endpot the plug E, and I the continuedpexpansion of the said lpipe merely pushes the plug E outwardl and pushes back the arm G of the lever, the'weightv of which 4keeps the valve closedfwithout theejnd of the pipe cutting the face of the valve or anypart of the apparatus heilig strained,y It is in this freedom from cutting the face ofthe valve or straining any part of the apparatu s-*that' th'e'advantage'of my trap principallyconsists. 4

When the pipe B is'again filled with Water` by condensation, the pipebecomes cooler and contracts, and its inner end is drawn away from the valve and opened `to permit' the Waterl to run into the box A and' out bythe pipe F, the lever and plunger being arrested v by the setscrew L coming i-n contact with Ithe stop'J. The set-screwv I is applied to vregulate :the opening between the pipe B and the' valve, the opening'being increased by screwin g forward the setscrew towardthe stop and diminished by screwingfback thcsaid screw. The cll'ect of the weight G is increased ordi ininished by adjusting thefulcrnm-pin b lower down'or -higherup in a slot, c, provided for the purpose in the standard 11, or by increasing or adjusting the weight on the horizontal arm of the lever when a movable Weight is used.

It has been before mentioned that the plug E is tted to the socket a, Without' packing. 'lhe packing is not necessary, for the reason 1 that when the Valve is closed no steam enters the box A, and when the valve is open the water has free egress at F.' The box A might be stationary, andthe pipe B fitted to work in the said box, as the operation of the valve and pipe will then be the same as if the box were attached to the pipe. I prefer, however, to screw the pipe tightly into the box and allowv the latter to move with the expansion and contraction of the pipe.

W. L.4 RAY.

/Vi'tnesses A. J. RAY, S. E. PARKER.

anni 

